New York Knicks Superstar Amar’e Stoudemire has signed on with Scholastic Books to produce his own kids’ chapter book series. STAT: Standing Tall and Talented is scheduled to be released in August 2012. The series is based on the life of Stoudemire and how he overcame a poor upbringing to become an NBA superstar. The series is made for middle school level children as Stoudemire is committed to converting more young children into readers. Stoudemire’s mission statement:

“I am excited to create my book series with Scholastic. They are the best in the business so I trust them with my stories. I decided to write for children because although I am an avid reader now, I wish I had read more as a child. I hope that together with Scholastic, we can creatively inspire a new generation to read.”

Once again I am impressed with Stoudemire. I have written before about how he should be an inspiration to children for overcoming what he has overcome and I think it is great that he can now tell his story to the masses through his books. Once again Stoudemire is using his basketball stature to create opportunities for himself outside of basketball and help other people. Stoudemire’s hard work outside of basketball is inspirational and I wish him the best of luck with his new book line.